


One's Best

by malinaldarose (coralysendria)



Category: Star Trek: The Next Generation
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-04-28
Updated: 2013-04-28
Packaged: 2017-12-09 18:35:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,657
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/776677
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/coralysendria/pseuds/malinaldarose
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Nurse Ogawa is surprised to find that Lwaxana Troi is not nearly the dragon her reputation makes her out to be.</p>
            </blockquote>





	One's Best

**Author's Note:**

  * For [averita](https://archiveofourown.org/users/averita/gifts).



_Captain's Log, Stardate 47578.5. The_ Enterprise _is on its way to Rintana IV, there to welcome aboard Lwaxana Troi. We will be transporting Mrs. Troi to Delios III where she will be Betazed's delegate to a conference there. Mrs. Troi's assistant Mr. Homn will be quarantined in sickbay for the duration of the journey, as he has been taken ill with Aragosian Fever. Doctor Crusher assures me that there is no danger to the_ Enterprise _crew from this illness, and she and her staff will see to it that Mr. Homn recuperates in peace. In the meantime, Mrs. Troi has requested an assistant from among the crew to fill in for Mr. Homn. After much thought and consultation with Ship's Counselor Deanna Troi -- who has agreed to stress to her mother that a Starfleet officer will not be assigned simply to make her tea -- I have decided to assign Lieutenant Alyana Ongara from the Xenosociology Department. Lieutenant Ongara is a Mraxian; Mraxians are both highly telepathic and matriarchal, both of which should help the lieutenant in her dealings with the formidable Mrs. Troi. On a personal note, I am not looking forward to having Mrs. Troi aboard the_ Enterprise _. Her presence is always disruptive in some fashion._

~*~

_Chief Medical Officer's Log, Stardate 47578.5. I have been informed by the captain that Lwaxana Troi will be coming aboard at Rintana IV with her butler Mr. Homn, who has Aragosian Fever. Because the organism that causes Aragosian Fever can use transporter beams as a vector, he will be brought aboard via medical shuttle. I have sent requests both to Rintana and Betazed for his medical records. He will need to be kept in strict quarantine until we reach Delios III, by which time he should be recovered. If not, arrangements can be made for him to either remain aboard the_ Enterprise _or be transferred to a Delian medical facility. I have asked Lieutenant Ogawa to set up Quarantine Six for Mr. Homn. In case of a breach of quarantine, I have taken the precaution of having all the medical staff as well as the senior officers vaccinated against Aragosian Fever. A breach is extremely unlikely, but it doesn't hurt to take precautions. On a personal note, I should have a word with Guinan to see if there is any real chocolate in Ten-Forward. Deanna is going to need it._

_Also at Rintana, we will be losing the services of Lieutenant Thaddeus Ross who is transferring to the_ Exeter _. I have not yet chosen a new Head Nurse, but have been giving the matter a great deal of thought._

~*~

_Ship's Counselor's Log, Stardate 47578.5. Oh, gods. My mother is coming aboard._

~*~

"Alyssa, would you come in here a moment?" Doctor Crusher called as Alyssa passed the doctor's office the next morning. "Have a seat."

Alyssa nervously perched on the edge of the chair. Despite being friendly with Doc -- Beverly -- she still felt like a child called to the principal's office. She wondered what she had done wrong. 

Beverly looked up from her work and smiled warmly. "Relax, Alyssa! This isn't a scolding. Your work has been exemplary the last few weeks. You have more than merited that promotion. If I had anything to scold you about, it would be not taking time off after Ensign Sito...well, after. I know that the two of you were close."

As always, Alyssa felt a pang at the mention of Jaxa, who had been lost during a secret mission into Cardassian space. "Do you know my friend Sam, Beverly?"

The doctor raised a brow at the seeming non sequitur. "Sam Lavelle? Only by reputation."

Alyssa smiled; given how Sam had tried ingratiating himself with Commander Riker during the last crew evaluations, she was pretty certain what reputation Beverly meant. "He and Ensign Sito were up for the same promotion and he was pretty sure Jaxa was going to get it. When he did, he was sure it was only because she was...gone. He felt guilty, as though he didn't deserve it. I told him that he could honor her by doing his best. And that's how I feel about it even though she and I weren't in competition. I honor her by doing my best." She paused. "Plus, my grandmother encouraged me to join Starfleet, and I don't want to disappoint her."

"Well, then," Beverly said, "I have a proposal for you that both of them would approve. You know that Lieutenant Ross is leaving us at Rintana. I would like to appoint you as his replacement."

"Me?" Alyssa said with a squeak. "You want to make me Head Nurse?"

"Mm hmm. It would mean more responsibility, of course, and you would be interacting more with the senior staff, but I have the utmost confidence in you and your abilities."

"The senior staff," Alyssa said hesitantly.

Beverly nodded. "Yes, you know," she said with a slight smile, "Me, Commander Riker, Commander LaForge, Worf, Deanna, Data, the captain. Those people?"

Alyssa's heart sank at the thought of dealing with the captain. Yes, he had been in sickbay before -- well, all of the senior staff had at one time or another -- but she had never had to deal with them except from behind the double shield of Doctor Crusher and medical protocols. Another thought occurred to her. The position of Head Nurse was, essentially, Doctor Crusher's second-in-command, even more so than the ship's other two doctors. "This is a supervisory position, isn't it, Doctor?"

"Yes, it is. You know that, Alyssa. There would be a short probationary period, and then you'd be promoted to full lieutenant." There was a puzzled note in Beverly's voice.

Alyssa ducked her head and twisted her hands in her lap. "I...I don't know that I'm ready for a supervisory position, Doctor."

Beverly frowned, as she noted Alyssa's switch to formality. "I think you are. What is it, Alyssa?"

"I--" She stopped. She couldn't very well tell the doctor that the thought of becoming a supervisor, of dealing with the _senior staff_ , utterly terrified her. It didn't matter that she had interacted with them all at one time or another. Alyssa was, at heart, a shy person, and the idea of having to stand out, of being noticed.... She looked up. "I really don't think I'm ready for that, Doctor. But may I have some time to think about it?"

"Of course you may. In the meantime, we'll be arriving at Rintana in a few hours; is Quarantine Six ready for Mr. Homn?"

"Yes, Doctor."

"Good. If things go according to plan, the medical shuttle will be docking at 1400. I'm going to need you there to help secure Mr. Homn."

"Of course."

"All right, Alyssa. That's all for now." 

Alyssa _did not_ flee Beverly's office, though she might, she reflected later as she double-checked her work on Quarantine Six, have left with rather indecorous haste.

~*~

The medical shuttle arrived promptly. While Doctor Crusher officially transferred Mr. Homn from Rintana's medical authority to her own, Alyssa helped the orderlies offload the travel pod containing the patient. Since medical travel pods were little more than caskets with life support systems, most people who had to go farther than down the hall were sedated for the journey. When Alyssa peered into the pod's viewport, however, she saw that the patient's eyes were open. She keyed the unit's intercom. 

"Hello, Mr. Homn," she said. "You're aboard the _Enterprise_ now. I'm Lieutenant Alyssa Ogawa, and I'm one of the nurses here; I'll be keeping an eye on you while you're in sickbay."

Mr. Homn smiled sweetly and nodded, but said nothing. 

"We'll get you out of that pod as soon as we get to sickbay," Alyssa continued.

"Is he awake?" Beverly examined the readouts on the front of the pod. "Apparently the hospital didn't take his metabolism into account when they sedated him." She sighed, and leaned over the viewport. "Hello, Mr. Homn. Welcome back to the _Enterprise_. I'd say that it's nice to see you again, but I'd much rather you had come aboard under your own power."

Again, he only smiled. His eyes drifted shut.

"Can you handle the antigravs, Alyssa? I'd rather get him out of the pod and situated than wait for orderlies to get here."

"Of course, Beverly. It won't be a problem. I'm sorry about the orderlies."

Crusher looked at her. "Don't worry about it, Alyssa. It wasn't your responsibility to see that they'd be here. It was mine."

Technically, Alyssa thought, it was the Head Nurse's responsibility, but apparently Lieutenant Ross had been so caught up in his own transfer plans that he had forgotten. _She_ wouldn't have forgotten, she thought, annoyed. If it had been up to her.... 

The antigrav units attached to the pod meant that a single person could easily move it, but its size made it a bit awkward to steer. Beverly moved ahead of the pod, though, clearing crew members out of the way, and helping maneuver through doorways and junctions. Alyssa was relieved that they managed to reach sickbay without hitting anyone or bouncing the pod off a wall.

Alyssa was certain it was merest coincidence that Beverly had chosen Quarantine Six -- the farthest from her office -- for Mr. Homn. Although she had never encountered Lwaxana Troi personally, having been on leave during the Betazoid's last visit to the _Enterprise_ when she ended up in sickbay in a coma, Alyssa had heard plenty of stories. She had decided to reserve her own judgment until she actually met the woman -- if she did. Who knew if Mrs. Troi would even bother to come down to sickbay to visit Mr. Homn? 

Alyssa maneuvered the pod into the quarantine chamber and locked it into position on the waiting pedestal. A double-layered force shield shimmered into existence behind her; as long as the pod was locked into the base, the containment shields could not be lowered without an override, and, as they were keyed to comm badges, only medical personnel could pass through them. 

She entered a code into the pod's command interface. The seal cracked open with a hiss of escaping air and the sides folded down. In less than half a minute, the pod became a comfortable bed. Alyssa pulled a blanket from the cabinet in the pedestal and spread it over Mr. Homn who would no doubt be a bit chilled now that he was out of the self-contained system. He watched her, still saying nothing.

"This is Quarantine Six, Mr. Homn," Alyssa said. "You'll be staying here until we're certain that you've recovered, but we're expecting that by the time we reach Delios, you'll be up and around again. It's a bit plain, I'm afraid, but you've got access to the library computer, and everything you need here. Think of it as a vacation." She paused. "Well, okay, not much of a vacation, really, is it? I don't know about you, but when I go on vacation, I expect something a little fancier. Think of it as camping out, then, okay?"

He smiled faintly.

"You don't say much, do you?"

He shook his head.

"Well...neither do I, really, so I'm sure we'll get along very well. Are you feeling all right at the moment? Thirsty? Hungry? No? Well, if you need anything, you press that button right there," she pointed to the call button, "and I or one of the other nurses will be right here. Okay?"

He nodded and that tiny smile was back on his face.

"All right, Mr. Homn. You get some rest."

Alyssa passed through the first force shield and paused while green light bathed over her. "Decontamination procedure complete," the computer announced. "You may pass the outer shield."

Alyssa passed through the second shield and made her way back to Beverly's office. "Mr. Homn is settled in," she reported.

Beverly looked up from her work. "Thanks, Alyssa."

The door opened just then and admitted the ship's counselor. Deanna Troi was a frequent visitor to sickbay, not only because she and Beverly were friends, but also because their work often intersected. Alyssa liked her.

"I came to check up on Mr. Homn," she said, after greeting them both. "Mother may or may not remember to, so I thought it best that he not think he'd been entirely abandoned."

"I would never let him think that, Counselor," Alyssa protested without thinking.

Troi smiled at her. "I know you wouldn't, Alyssa." She exchanged an unreadable look with Beverly; Alyssa was certain she wasn't meant to have noticed.

"I am right in the middle of something, Deanna, but I'm sure Alyssa would take you back to see him," Beverly said.

"Of course. Counselor?" She indicated that Troi should come with her. "He's back in the quarantine section."

"I heard that you got engaged, Alyssa," Troi said, as they walked. "Congratulations."

Alyssa blushed lightly. "Thank you, Counselor."

"Deanna, Alyssa. My name is Deanna. As you well know; I've been a patient here myself often enough that I think we can dispense with the 'Counselor' nonsense, don't you?"

"Sorry, Deanna. Habit." Alyssa ducked her head.

"Do I make you nervous, Alyssa?"

"What? No, of course not," Alyssa answered. Quite the opposite, in fact. She felt even more comfortable around the counselor than she did around Beverly, perhaps because Deanna wasn't her immediate superior.

"Worf tells me that he has been playing poker with you and Ensign Sito's other friends. He quite enjoys the games. He feels that honoring her friends helps him to honor her."

"He's quite a good poker player," Alyssa said, not certain what Deanna was getting at.

"Surprisingly good," Deanna agreed. "Poker isn't the sort of game you'd expect a Klingon to enjoy."

"No," Alyssa said. "Not enough pointy things. At least," she added thoughtfully, "not the way we _usually_ play."

Deanna's peal of laughter echoed through sickbay.

~*~

It was the tail end of her shift. She was briefing Ensign Bellamy on Mr. Homn's condition and medication schedule when Beverly summoned her. 

"I'm sorry, Alyssa, I know you're about to go off shift, but I'm swamped in reports, and Mrs. Troi is having a migraine, or so she says. Would you please take her some TLS?"

"Sure, Beverly." Alyssa prepared the medication, and took the hypospray to Crusher to have it doubled-checked.

"Thanks, Alyssa. I appreciate this."

"No problem. I have to confess that I'm a little curious about Mrs. Troi; I've heard a lot of stories about her over the years."

Beverly shook her head. "You know what they say, Alyssa: Be careful what you wish for. Let's just say that she's a handful and leave it at that."

Alyssa laughed. "If you say so."

~*~

Lwaxana Troi, as a visiting dignitary, was housed in the ambassadorial guest quarters on Deck Nine. Alyssa stopped outside the door, and touched the buzzer.

"Who is it?" a woman's voice said in an irritated tone.

Well, she certainly sounded like she was having a migraine. "Lieutenant Ogawa," Alyssa answered.

The door slid open, and Alyssa stepped into the suite. It was dark inside; the only illumination came from the distant stars. "It's about time." The voice came from the direction of the windows. "I have been waiting for hours, and I have a _lot_ of work to do before the ship arrives at Delios. It's just typical of Jean-Luc to keep me waiting like this. The man has no consideration for me sometimes, no matter how much we mean to each other. Well, don't just stand there, Lieutenant. Lights," the voice snapped. "One-third illumination."

The computer beeped and the lights came up a third. "One-third illumination," the computer announced.

"Thank you," Mrs. Troi said. The computer beeped acknowledgement. "We get on well, the computer and I." She was seated on the couch, her legs tucked under her; she had been watching the stars, Alyssa realized, but she untucked her legs and rose to her feet, approaching a wide desk covered in print-outs. Her hair and eyes were dark, like Deanna's, but Alyssa had never seen Deanna dressed in so elaborate a fashion. A jeweled net caught Mrs. Troi's hair back, and huge gems dangled from her ears. The brightly-hued fabric of her gown -- "dress" was an understatement for that garment, even though it was fairly plain -- gleamed in the low light. "Take a seat, Lieutenant. No, wait. Computer, Argelian tea, please. Fetch that over here, dear, would you?"

Alyssa, feeling rather as if a herd of elephants had just run her down, went to the replicator and picked up the cup of tea. She took it back to the desk and handed it to Mrs. Troi.

"Thank you, my dear. Please, please, take a seat. Now, the first thing we have to do is get all this paperwork organized."

"Mrs. Troi--"

"Oh, you can call me Lwaxana, my dear. Almost everyone does. Well, except Commander Riker. And Mr. Worf. Sticklers for protocol, those two. Speaking of Worf, have you met his son Alexander? What an adorable child. We have a bond, we two. I must make some time, while I'm here, to treat the boy to some ice cream. Why are still standing there, child? Sit, sit!"

Alyssa sat. "Lwaxana, I'm--"

"--very sorry you're late, yes, dear, I know, but we'll have to make the best of it. Now, I understand that you're from the Xenosociology Department, according to what Jean-Luc told me, so I expect that you'll be able to help me organize my notes on the Delians and the Triptarians before this conference. We can't really call them negotiations, of course, because they're not. Really more of a prelude to the true negotiations, which will probably not happen for months."

"Lwaxana," Alyssa tried again. "I'm not--"

"--a specialist in the Triptarians? Well, no one is, really. They're a very private people, as a rule, and--"

"Lwaxana!" Alyssa said sharply. "I'm not here for that! I'm--" 

She was interrupted by the door buzzer.

"Come!" Lwaxana called. "That should be Doctor Crusher with my migraine medicine," she added. "You're not Doctor Crusher."

"Indeed not," the tall green-skinned woman replied. "I'm Lieutenant Ongara from Xenosociology. I've been assigned to assist you until we reach Delios."

"You're Lieutenant Ongara? But she said _she_ was Lieutenant Ongara."

"No," Alyssa said firmly, rather surprised at herself. But she was annoyed, and it was past the end of her shift, dammit, and she was supposed to be meeting Andrew for dinner, not listening to this lunatic woman prattle. She rather thought she understood Beverly's warning, now. "I didn't. I said I was Lieutenant _Ogawa_ , and _you_ didn't let me say anything else." She dug the hypospray out of her pocket. "Doctor Crusher sent me with your migraine medication."

Lwaxana laughed. "Oh, my dear. Why didn't you stop me?"

"And how should I have done that? With a mallet?" Alyssa regretted the words as soon as they were out of her mouth; that was not the sort of thing one said to a visiting dignitary, no matter how annoying she was.

But Lwaxana was looking at her with approval. "You have spirit, don't you, my dear. Very well, then. Give me the shot, and then go have dinner with your Andrew."

Alyssa kicked herself for forgetting that the woman was a telepath. She glanced back at Ongara and found a slightly superior smile on the Mraxian woman's face, and knew that she had caught Alyssa's angry thoughts as well. She bridled, but gritted her teeth and administered the hypo.

"Thank you, my dear," Lwaxana said softly. She glanced past Alyssa at the Mraxian still standing by the door. "I'm sorry to make you late for dinner."

"It's all right, ma'am," Alyssa replied. "He's probably working late himself."

Lwaxana patted her hand. "Still. It was rude of me. You go on, now."

"If that medicine doesn't help your head," Alyssa said, "Doctor Selar will be on duty in the main sickbay. Oh, and in case Deanna hasn't had a chance to mention it to you yet, Mr. Homn is settled in Quarantine Six, also in main sickbay, and seems to be doing well."

"Thank you, my dear; the headache is already better. You have a good evening."

Alyssa nodded, and left. 

~*~

Beverly was not in her office when Alyssa arrived for her duty shift the next morning. No new patients had been checked in overnight, so she headed back to Quarantine Six to check on Mr. Homn. He was still asleep, and since he wasn't due for a dose of antibiotics for another couple of hours, she didn't disturb him. She was reviewing the night shift's logs when her comm badge chirped. 

"Lieutenant Ogawa, please report to the briefing room."

She raised her eyebrows in surprise. "Acknowledged," she replied. Beverly had not yet returned, so she left word where she would be with Ensign Davis, one of the other nurses.

"Uh oh," Davis said, with a smile and a wink. "You're in trouble."

Alyssa paled, remembering how she had spoken to Lwaxana Troi the previous evening. "I hope not."

But when she got to the briefing room, it looked as though Davis might be correct after all: Beverly and Deanna were waiting for her...and so was the captain.

"Ah, Lieutenant," he said, as she walked in. "Please, have a seat."

She nervously took the chair opposite Beverly, leaving a seat empty between herself and the captain. She clasped her hands on the surface of the long table.

"I understand, Lieutenant," the captain said, "that you had an encounter with Lwaxana Troi last evening, and there was a bit of mistaken identity."

Alyssa felt her heart rate increase, while the bottom of her stomach seemed to disappear into her boots. "I'm sorry, sir, I didn't mean to say what I did--"

"Relax, Alyssa," Deanna said in a soothing tone. "You're not in trouble."

"Quite the contrary," the captain said with a faint smile. "Lwaxana was very impressed with you, and was hoping that you would consider serving as her assistant until we reach Delios -- or until Mr. Homn is fit to resume his duties, whichever comes first."

"He's progressing quite well," Beverly said, "so it would probably only be for a couple of days, Alyssa."

"But what about Lieutenant Ongara?"

The captain's face settled into its habitual stern lines. "Let's just say that Lwaxana was not impressed with Lieutenant Ongara and leave it at that. Now, I will not order you to do this, Lieutenant, because it is well outside the scope of your normal duties, but I would consider it a personal favor if you were to give your consent. And, as Doctor Crusher pointed out, it's probably only for a couple of days."

Alyssa glanced at Beverly. "Doctor?"

"It's up to you, Alyssa," she said gently. "We would all understand perfectly if you didn't want to."

"My mother can be a little...overwhelming," Deanna added. "And I have to warn you that she is one of the strongest telepaths on Betazed and not necessarily polite about it."

"You mean she'd be reading my mind," Alyssa said.

Deanna nodded. "Yes. But she wouldn't necessarily be doing it purposely. She honestly can't help it sometimes."

"Actually," Alyssa said hesitantly, "she rather reminds me of my grandmother."

"Don't let her hear you say that," Deanna said.

Alyssa laughed. "Sounds to me like I wouldn't have to let her hear it."

Deanna smiled. "No, probably not. But even if she hears the thought, at least you would know you were polite enough not to say it."

"You'll do it, then, Lieutenant?"

Alyssa nodded, once. "Yes, Captain. I'll do it."

The captain's smile was tinged with relief. "Thank you, Lieutenant. It is much appreciated."

She nodded. "You're welcome, sir."

The captain nodded. "Doctor, Counselor, I leave the lieutenant's briefing in your capable hands."

Alyssa waited until the door had closed behind Picard to sink back into her chair. "Whew!"

"Not what you were expecting, was it?" Beverly's eyes danced. 

"No. I thought for sure I was in trouble after what I said to Mrs. Troi."

"My mother appreciates someone who can stand up to her," Deanna said. "Unless, of course, that someone is her daughter." 

"I think that's the way it is with mothers and daughters, though," Alyssa said, thoughtfully. "You should've heard my mother shriek when I told her I was going to join Starfleet rather than get married and have dozens of children."

"As the only mother present," Beverly said, "I feel it my duty to protest the direction in which this conversation is going. However, as the daughter of a mother myself, well...I have to agree."

"In any case," Deanna said, "there really isn't much you need to know that you don't already. My mother has a very...forceful personality, as you already know. All you need to do is keep up with her. Do you have a good relationship with your grandmother?"

Alyssa nodded. 

"Then just treat her like you would your grandmother, and you'll probably be fine."

"And remember that Guinan stocks real chocolate in Ten-Forward, just in case of emergencies," Beverly added.

Alyssa's eyes widened at the thought of a piece of real, not replicated, chocolate. "Really?"

"Really," Deanna assured her. "And believe me, I have made use of her stash."

~*~

"Come in, Lieutenant," the intercom said just before Alyssa's finger hit the door buzzer. She pulled it back as the door slid open.

"No time to stand on ceremony, my dear," Lwaxana said from behind her desk. "As I said yesterday, there is too much to do."

Alyssa stepped into Lwaxana's quarters. Her migraine was clearly better today; the lights were at full, and she was much more animated than she had been last evening. Which, given how she had greeted Alyssa then was saying something. Today she seemed rather like a caffeinated squirrel, Alyssa thought wryly.

"That is _not_ a very flattering comparison," Lwaxana said.

"It is _not_ polite to read people's thoughts uninvited," Alyssa returned.

Lwaxana put down the papers in her hands. "Then don't throw them at me, Lieutenant."

"I will do my best not to," Alyssa said, approaching the desk, "but you might have to bear in mind that since I am not a telepath, I have not had any training in such disciplines."

Lwaxana nodded. "Fair enough. Take a seat, my dear, and let's get started. Now, first, let me tell you the history involved...."

Lwaxana turned out, despite everything that Alyssa had heard, to be a good teacher, and she laid out the specifics behind the upcoming conference quickly and cogently. 

"So what is it that you need my help with?" Alyssa asked.

"To start with, it would be very helpful if you could sort through and organize some of this paperwork for me."

Alyssa nodded. She might not be particularly adept at interstellar politics, but organization was something that she was more than familiar with, given that part of her job for years had been to keep track of reports and see to it that sickbay supplies were organized, accessible, and inventoried periodically.

Her attention was only partly on the paperwork she was sorting, however. Some part of her continued to worry at the question of taking the position Beverly had offered her. She could do the nursing part of the job. That wasn't in doubt. With Ross gone, she was the most senior member of the nursing staff, so her promotion to the position was logical. And realizing that she _was_ the most senior made supervising the other nurses less daunting. Still.... She looked down at the papers in her hand; she had sorted the last several documents into the wrong piles. She cursed silently, and re-sorted them.

She resolutely pushed thoughts of the promotion away, and worked silently while Lwaxana read, and in a few hours, had all of the paperwork organized into neat piles. 

"May I ask you something, Lwaxana?"

"Of course, my dear."

"Why all this?" She swept a hand above the neatly stacked papers. "Why hard copies? Why not just have the computer organize it all for you? Since you have such a good relationship with it, after all."

Lwaxana laughed. "No matter how good a relationship I have with the computer, it is easier for me to see the connections between the various pieces of information if I can actually see them. No matter how good a directory tree the computer lays out, there's always something missing, something that can't be properly quantified by a computer, something that needs the eye and sentient mind to put together."

"And so you have stacks of paper."

"And so I have stacks of paper. Tell me, my dear, why did you agree to help me with this?" 

Alyssa had always thought that Deanna's direct gaze sometimes saw too much; it was what made her such an excellent counselor. But Deanna was an empath, not a telepath; she never saw as much as her mother could. Lwaxana's gaze was as direct as Deanna's, but as piercing as a spear. She was certain that Lwaxana could see all her thoughts, and didn't need her to actually put them into words, but still she struggled to do so, for herself more than anything.

"I like you, I guess," she said at last. "Despite what everyone says about you, you're really a nice person." It was only after the words were out that she realized how rude they were, and she winced.

But Lwaxana only laughed long and merrily. At last she stopped, wiping her eyes on a dainty handkerchief that she produced from some hidden pocket in her gown. "Oh, my dear. Thank you for that. I have been called many things, but I don't think _nice_ has ever been one of them." She looked keenly at Alyssa again. "But that's still not all of it."

Alyssa looked down at her hands. "No," she said, shaking her head.

"What, then?"

"My mother didn't want me to join Starfleet," Alyssa said. She looked up; Lwaxana waited patiently. "And, frankly, the thought of it scared me. But there was a need, when I left nursing school, for nurses aboard starships, and it seemed like a place where I could make a difference, even though the idea gave me nightmares."

"But you joined Starfleet anyway." Lwaxana's voice was neutral.

Alyssa nodded. "My grandmother told me to do the thing that scared me. She told me that I would find that it wasn't so frightening after all. And not too long ago, one of my best friends did something truly terrifying...." Her voice trailed off. She didn't want to talk to Lwaxana about Jaxa, even though she was thinking about how Jaxa faced down the captain, not about what happened as a result.

If Lwaxana caught that thought, she did not pursue it. "An enlightened woman, your grandmother. And that, I think, gives you the answer to the problem that you have been mulling over the whole time you've been sitting here, my dear."

Alyssa started. "Problem?"

Lwaxana's eyes crinkled. "Your thoughts have been full of it, my dear. The estimable Doctor Crusher offered you a promotion. You should take it."

Sudden realization and relief blossomed in Alyssa's chest; even when she had been trying not to think about it, the promotion had been gnawing at her. It was, now that she thought about it, kind of silly for her to be afraid of what was essentially just a name, after all. The head nurse's position wasn't anything that she hadn't done before. She had interacted with all of the senior officers before, and she played _poker_ with Worf! Though she had to concede that for all that Worf was a Klingon and scary by nature, Captain Picard was scarier still.

Lwaxana was watching her with a faint smile on her face, clearly following her thoughts. "Go on," she said gently. "Go back to your proper job."

Alyssa jumped to her feet, then impulsively ran around the desk and dropped a kiss on Lwaxana's cheek. "Thank you!"

She hurried off to sickbay to give Beverly her acceptance before she could offer the position to someone else.

~*~

_Captain's Log, Stardate 47578.7: The_ Enterprise _has reached Delios III. Lwaxana Troi and Mr. Homn, who has recovered from his illness thanks to the dedicated efforts of the sickbay personnel, have beamed down to the surface. The ship feels almost empty without Lwaxana's forceful personality aboard her. Lwaxana had nothing but praise for Lieutenant Alyssa Ogawa, who, after being mistaken for Lieutenant Ongara, accepted the latter's assignment even though it was outside her duties as nurse. She performed well in a stressful situation, and deserves a commendation. Frankly, she deserves a medal...computer, strike that last...._

_Chief Medical Officer's Log, Stardate 47578.7: I am pleased to report that Lieutenant Alyssa Ogawa has accepted the post of Head Nurse. I am confident that she will perform her new duties with the dedication she has always shown in the past. Now I just have to work on her to go back to school for her MD._

_Ship's Counselor's Log, Stardate 47578.7: My mother has left. Now maybe Worf will come out of hiding._

_Head Nurse's Log, Stardate 47578.7, Lieutenant Alyssa Ogawa recording: Mr. Homn has recovered from his bout of Aragosian Fever and has been discharged from sickbay. In the several days he was here, he never said a word, but he did seem grateful for the rest and care received. As there are no patients in sickbay at the moment, a full inventory of supplies is being conducted by myself and Nurses Bellamy and Davis. We anticipate that the eyes-on inventory will take two full duty shifts. As someone recently told me, the computer is a good tool, but it helps to actually see things laid out._

**Author's Note:**

> Star Trek, in all its many forms, is owned by Paramount. This is a fan work; no infringement is intended and no profit will be had hereby.
> 
> This story is set during season 7, between "Lower Decks" and "Genesis." It was betaed by the ever lovely Bethynyc. Go read her stuff. (Go on. I'll wait.)


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